St. Paul daily globe., 1887-01-25
THE TRAFFIC. IN GIRLS.
Horrible Stories Told by Young
Women who Have Been Lured


TO fsuin.
Special to the Globe.
CHICAGO, Jan. 24.-When the Pail Mall
Gazette stirred the moral and immoral
world some time ago by exposing the
wholesale traffic in young girls virtue in
London. it apparently had no idea that
such a place as Chicago existed. In this
city the business thrives. and the police are
in a measure responsible for the narrowing
stories told by unSophsticated girls who
have been lured to dens in the Wisconsin
woods. William Gaines, notorious char
acter at No. Ill Halstead street, is the
pioneer in the business, and within the past
four months it has been roughly estimated
that ne has sent to these dens over one
hundred young girls, who in an evil moment
crossed his path. But few have escaped
and those now in the tolls of the pro-
curesses in the wildS of Wisconsin are suf-
fering living deaths. The Humane society
has restored Maggie GerWel and Mary Nc
Dermott to their parents. and the tales the
young girls tell are frightful to contemplate.
Their age is ID years. While going to
school they were
MET BY A PROCURESS
who wanted actresses. Fiattering prom
iSeS of wealth, etc, were held out to them,
and the children accepted. They were not
given an opportunity to inform their pa
rents of the step they were about to take,
but were soon on board a Wisconsin Cen
trail train. and after long ride arrived at
Hurley. Wis. The place is resort for I'M
couth lumbermen and miners. The little
ones, after being taken from the train, were
driven to dance house in the woods. The
place is surrounded by board fence twelve
feet high Tor the purpose OF keeping the
innOcentS from escaping. Should they
manage to break through the circle, blood
hounds are on hand to track them. On
reaching the den the girls were attre6 in
short dresses and made to submit to the
grossest indignities. Within week they
were indebted S100 to the landlord. In the
meantime the police were notified of their
disappearance, and afterwards the Humane
officers. The latter OWNED the where
abouts of the girls and went to Hurley, and
after a sharp fight with the human brutes
lodged there, brought them to Chicago. A
den near Iron Mountain in Menomonee is
SUPPLIED WITH TALENT"
by man who is now in st. Paul A short
time ago bill was introduced in the Wis
consin legislature to have the denS abol-
ished and the proprietors imprisoned. AS
result the local authorities were seized
with a brief spasm and made raid. A
number of women and girls were taken
and lodged in the Detroit workhouse for
eight months. They told the officers that
they had been lured to the dens by tiends
incarnate, but their excuses were of no
avail. To-day Mamie johnson was re-
leased, and she exposed Gaines and told
how he worked upon her credulity. She is
the daughter of respectable people in the
East, where she married. On coming to
Chicago her husband deserted her. Being
without money she went to work in Gaines
restaurant as cook. After week he in
formed her that he had secured for her a
place in Wisconsin in the same capacity
and at better wages. With another victim
she went, thinking the place was as repre-
sented. On being taken inside the fence
surrounding the house she saw a number of
bulldogs chained to posts. and in the house
were swarthy miners and
YOUNG GIRLS IN SHORT DRESSES.
Then she realized her awful situation
To attempt an escape was to be mangled by
the dogs. 1t was relief to her when she
was arrested and placed in prison. She
scored Gaines, and implored the Lord to
visit him with eternal punishment She
says that the mans place is rendezvous
for county officers. who receive remunera-
ton for keeping their mouths shut. Miss
johnson is physical wreck, and her lease
of life is painfully short. Gaines saloon
aud restaurant was wide open last night,
and the toughest of tough men and women
were to be found therein. 1t is in Captain
of Police Wards district and is said to be
protected for consideration. The dens
unable to pay tribute are raiGed nightly,
but what can be expected when a police
official was found basking in the smiles of
Belle Dimick, landlady on Clinton street,
a few nights ago. while houses directly op-
posite were being raided.
A young man named Musgrove, who is
in charge of Gaines place at No Ill South
Halstead street, in this city, declares that
the woman Minn and female companion
went to Iron Mountain of their own accord.
He exhibited
A PHOTOGRAPH.
which he declared was view of Gaines
place at Iron Mountain. The photograph
was of a two-story, barn-lke structure,
made of rough planks. In front was a rude
porch. upon which were standing several
women, few lumbermen and bartender
or two. In contradiction of the story that
the women wore short dresses, the costumes
represented in the photograph reached to
the wearers' ankles. There were no fences